Luggage construction



April 1943- J. H. PLOTKIN LUGGAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l I INVENTOR. 72/17. Phi/54W fi, .--i------4=r"'-:

April 1943- J. H. PLOTKIN LUGGAGE CONSTRUCTION Filed April 28, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 29 Z6 Patented Apr. 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LUGGAGE CONSTRUCTION Application April 28, 1941, Serial No. 390,806

Claims.

My invention relates to means for conveniently packing clothing in wardrobe cases, trunks, and similar items of luggage.

More specifically, my invention consists in the provision of garment hangers, supporting slides for the hangers, and a follower panel, each embodying features which I believe to be new in the art.

It is an object of my invention to provide garment hangers and supportin means for the hangers, so arranged that individual hangers are conveniently accessible and individually removable from the luggage case when desired, but are securely held against displacement or disarrangement when the case is closed.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a follower panel, preferably adapted to fit on the same supporting means as the garment hangers, which panel will serve to compress the garments smoothly and flatly when the case is closed and will in addition serve to retain the garment hangers in position such that they cannot become disengaged from their support.

Another object is to provide a removable follower panel incorporating a breaker strip which serves as an edge around which garments may b folded in packing.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a luggage case embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 4.

Figure 3 is a vertical cross sectional View taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 4'.

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the open top section of the case, the lower section being shown in vertical cross sectional View, as on the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

On the drawings I have used the reference numeral Hi to indicate generally a luggage case, which commonly consists of two interfitting sections, 12 and I4, connected by hinges l6. Clasps or catches i8 provide for fastening the sections together, and a handle 23 is mounted on section M for carrying. V

For convenience I will refer to the various sides of the case section l2 as the top wall 22, end walls 24, bottom wall 23, and side wall 28.

Brackets or mounting plates 33 and 32 are fastened to top wall 22 or side wall 28, or both, in the positions indicated in Figs. 3 and l. On each of these brackets I provide a post, extending in a direction perpendicular to the side wall 28 and parallel to the top wall 22, The posts ar numbored 34 in the drawings. They are preferably approximately the same in'length as the depth of the section l2, so that the end of the post comes about to the plane of the open side of the section.

Pivotally connected to the outer ends of the posts 34 are extension members 36, having enlarged heads 33. The arrangement of the pivot is such that the extensions swing in a plane parallel to the top wall 22, and may be aligned with the posts on which they are mounted, as shown in Figure 3, or they may be folded together, as shown in Figure 4.

Garment hangers 4B are provided, each having garment supporting arms 42 of conventional pattern, and a T-shaped head 44 of sufficient width to span the posts 34. A hook 45 may be pivotally attached to the hanger, for convenience in hanging it up in a closet or the like, when that is desired.

On the underside of the head 44 I provide notches 46 which fit over the posts 34. The vertical dimension of the head 44, the depth of the notches 43, and the spacing between the posts 34 and the top wall 22 are preferably so related that the hanger cannot be removed from the supporting posts by being moved upwardly as viewed in Figure 3. In other words, when the hanger is moved upwardly, it should be stopped by the top wall 22 before the notches disengage the posts 34.

When the case is open, however, and the extensions 36 are in the aligned position, as shown in Figure 1, the garment hangers may be slid along the posts 34 and onto the extensions 36, and any individual hanger desired may simply be lifted oif. The enlarged heads 38 keep hangers from slipping off the ends of the extensions accidentally.

I provide a follower panel, indicated generally as 43, which has a T-head 513 much like the head 44 of the garment hangers, fitting on the posts 34 in the same way. In its intermediate portion 52, the panel is preferably of substantial overall width, at least a third of the width of the case, although for ornamental purposes and for lightness this part of the panel may be formed with cutouts, as shown.

At its lower end the follower panel 48 is provided with a breaker strip portion 54 extending substantially all the way across the case. The function of this portion will be understood by reference to Figures 1, 3 and 4, where it will be seen that with the follower panel 48 removed, a garment such as a dress 56 can be hung on one of the hangers 40 and placed in the case section by slipping the hanger over the posts 34. The follower panel is then put in place on the posts 34, and the breaker strip portion 54 constitutes an edge about which the dress is folded up toward the top of the case. A rod 58 is carried on arms 89 pivoted in the case at 62, and when the rod and its carrying arms are in the open position, as in Figure 1, the skirt of the dress is simply draped over the rod, as shown in the figure. The arms 56 can then be folded up until latches 66 engage projections $6 on the arms, retaining the rod 62 in the position shown in Figure A bar 68 is carried by the arms 60 near their pivot points, and if the skirt is long enough it can be tucked under this bar before the arms are folded to the latched position. Thus it will be seen that the garment is neatly disposed, as indicated in Figure 3.

Additional garments carried on the other hangers 36 can be neatly and conveniently folded'in the same way, and one of the purposes of the follower panel is to bear against the garments, keeping them in place so that they will not be dislodged from the hangers or otherwise disarranged if the case is roughly handled in travelling.

When the case is packed, the extension members 3b are folded into the position shown in Figure l, thus retaining the head 5:) of the follower panel under the top wall 22, where it cannot come off the posts The bar 88, when the arms 68 are folded up, retains the lower part of the panel, adjacent the breaker strip portion ii aas seen in Figure 3.

For covering and protecting the garments in this section of the case, I provide a curtain TB, fastened to the underside of the top wall 22, and having a rod 12 attached to it near its free edge. At the ends of the rod E2 are projections M, adapted to fit into hook plates 76 carried on the arms 69. The free end of the curtain 16 extends beyond the rod 12, serving as a protection for extra long dresses, which may reach under the bar 68 and on down into the other case section 14.

I thus provide garment hangers and supporting means therefor, coacting in such a way that in one position on the supporting means the hangers cannot be readily removed, whereas in another position they are readily accessible and may be independently removed. I further provide a follower panel, the top edge of which is held in place by the folded extensions, and the bottom edge of which, carrying the breaker strip, is held in place by the bar on the arms fill, thus keeping the garments securely in place in transit.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

Iclaim as my invention:

1 In a luggage case, a support in the top portion of said case, garment hangers supported thereon, a follower panel also supported thereon, means in conjunction with the support retaining the top portion of said follower panel against garments hung on said hangers, said follower panel having at its lower end a breaker strip portion extending substantially the full width of the case, about which garments carried on the hangers are folded in packing, a pair of arms pivoted at the sides of said case in the lower portion thereof, a rod carried by said arms and swing ing into the upper portion of the case, said rod being adapted to have portions of garments which extend beyond said breaker strip portion folded over it, and a bar carried by said arms near the pivot points thereof, said bar bearing against the lower portion of said follower panel when said arms are folded into the case.

2. In a luggage case, a plurality of garment hangers, means slidably supporting said hangers in the case, a follower panel slidably supported on said means, said follower panel having at its lower end a breaker strip extending substantially the full width of the case, about which garments carried on the garment hangers are folded in packing, a pair of arms pivoted at the sides of the case, a rod carried by said arms and swingable thereon into the upper portion of the case, and means carried by said arms, bearing against the lower portion of said follower panel when said arms are folded into th case.

3. In a luggage case section, a pair of posts mounted in said section, extension members on said posts capable of being extended therefrom in alignment therewith, garment hangers having elongated T-heads, said heads spanning said posts, and having notches on the underside fitting over said posts, the depth of said notches, the vertical width of said T-heads above the notches, and the space between the posts and the adjacent wall of the section being such that the hanger cannot be removed from the posts by upward movement while within the section, but must first be slid out of the section on said extension, and a follower panel having a T-head substantially like those of the garment hangers, and similarly slidably carried on said posts, said follower panel having at its lower end a breaker strip extending substantially the full width of the case, about which garments carried by the hangers are folded in packing, a pair of arms pivoted at the sides of the case section, a rod carried by said arms and swingable thereon into the upper portion of the case section, and means carried by said arms, bearing against the lower portion of said follower panel when said arms are folded into the case.

4. In a luggage case having garment hangers supported therein, a follower panel supported from the top portion of said case and extending substantially from top to bottom thereof, means operable to retain the top of said follower panel against garments hung on said hangers, a pair of arms pivoted at the sides of said case in the lower portion thereof, a rod carried by said arms and swingable thereon into the upper portion of the case, and means carried by said arms near the pivot points thereof, bearing against the lower portion of said panel when said arms are folded into the case.

5. In a luggage case having garment hangers supported therein, a follower panel therein extending substantially from top to bottom thereof, said follower panel having at its lower end abreaker strip portion extending substantially the full width of the case, about which garments carried on the hangers are folded in packing, a pair of arms pivoted at the sides of said case, and a rod carried by said arms and swingable thereon into the upper portion of the case, said rod being adapted to have portions of garments which extend beyond said breaker strip portion folded over it.

JOSEPH II. PLOT 'IIN. 

